More than a dozen arrested in Friendswood methamphetamine investigation

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UPDATE: In a continuing investigation of methamphetamine activity, Friendswood police have arrested two more people.

Claudia Jo Walters, 41, of Webster, and Garrett Steven Erickson, 24, of Seabrook, were arrested about 10:30 a.m. March 26 after police stopped a vehicle driven by Walters for a traffic violation.

According to information from the department, the traffic violation occurred in the 1700 block of FM 528, and police stopped the car on the Gulf Freeway frontage road at Medical Center.

Police said the two appeared nervous, and police found packaged methamphetamine in the vehicle's center console. Erickson had a .45-caliber pistol that had been reported stolen Feb. 8 in Santa Fe, police said.

Walters and Erickson were both charged with possession of a controlled substanc, and Erickson was also charged with unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. He has prior convictions for domestic violence, assault, theft, trafficking stolen property and burglary, police said.

EARLIER: The Friendswood Police Department's investigation into buying and selling crystal methamphetamine, which included officers pursuing a suspect on the Gulf Freeway as he threw objects out a car window, has resulted in the arrest of 12 people in one week.

March 18

At 3:15 a.m. on March 18, police stopped Ryan Ellison Dillon, 33, of Alvin, on a traffic violation in the 1700 block of FM 528. He was arrested for driving without a valid driver's license, according to a Friendswood Police Department news release.

Police searched Dillon and found he had a small vile with two pieces of cotton that tested positive for methamphetamine, the release said.

His passenger, Nickie Webster, 30, of Hitchcock, was found to have an outstanding warrant in Brazoria County for the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance. Police also discovered Webster had prescription drugs in her purse and in the vehicle door compartment.

Dillon's bond was set at $20,000, while Webster's was set at $30,000. On March 21, Webster was given three years deferred adjudication in the 179th State District Court. Dillon has a return court date for April 24 in the 179th District Court.

About half an hour after the first incident, an officer spotted a suspicious vehicle at an apartment complex in the 1800 block of FM 528. The vehicle circled the complex and then stopped in a secluded area in the parking lot, the release said.

The two occupants, Mindy Lee Lucas, 32, of League City, and Travis Earl Wooldridge, 21, of Lake Jackson, tried to hide by reclining their seats, police said.

Lucas attempted to throw a marijuana pipe out of the driver's side window, but the window was still rolled up, leaving the pipe inside the vehicle. As she tried to retrieve the pipe, Wooldridge got out and dropped a baggie containing four prescription pills, the release said.

Inside the vehicle, the officer saw a wad of cash, a marijuana pipe, a digital scale and several small baggies.

When Lucas got out of the car, police searched her outer clothing and found a bag of crystal meth. Another bag was found in her purse and a third bag next to the driver's seat, the release said.

Lucas and Wooldridge were taken into custody with bonds set at $30,000 and $4,000, respectively.

March 19

Friendswood police witnessed a drug transaction in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant in the 100 block of East Parkwood Drive and tried to stop the suspects as they left in two vehicles.

One vehicle was stopped in the 200 block of East Parkwood, where police arrested Crystal Ann Manning, 32, of Kemah, and Brian Allen Buck, 36, of Alvin.

In that vehicle, police found 1.4 grams of meth, two marijuana pipes, a meth pipe, five apparently stolen credit cards and a gun stolen from Salt Lake City, Utah. Buck said he received the gun in a trade for speakers. Buck appeared to be under the influence of methamphetamine and was unable to stand still, police said.

Meanwhile, an officer tried to stop the other vehicle, a tan Chevy Tahoe, in the 400 block of West Parkwood for a traffic violation following the alleged drug transaction, but the driver drove off, the release said.

Two unmarked cars got in front of the Tahoe to slow it to a stop, but the driver, Christopher Hearen of Texas City, sped ahead, proceeding eastbound on FM 528 to the Gulf Freeway, the release said.

As Hearen made a U-turn under the NASA Bypass, he threw a bag with 14.8 grams of crystal meth out of the window. The bag was recovered by a Webster police officer, and Hearen, 37, later admitted he was selling it, the release said.

Hearen was eventually stopped in the 200 block of South 74 1/2 Street in Houston's East End, where he was arrested by Friendswood police. The passenger, Daniel Rodriguez, 39, of Austin, was detained by a Houston officer, the release said.

Rodriguez told police he was the "middle man" who helped to set up the transaction, according to the release.

Hearen, who is being held in the Harris County Jail on no bond, was found to be on parole after a 2010 charge for delivery of methamphetamine. His parole was due to expire in August 2015.

March 21

At 4:30 p.m. , Carina Nicole Partridge, 29, of Houston was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of a dangerous drug. She was stopped for a traffic violation in the 400 block of East Edgewood Drive and showed signs of drug use, including nervousness, constant picking of her fingernails and moving around.

She had a bag of meth as well as prescription medications for which she did not have a prescription, the release said.

March 22

Richard Wayne Napper, 44, of Houston, was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Police found Napper at the back of an apartment complex in the 4900 block of FM 2351, standing outside a vehicle with the door open. The officer checked Napper's identification and found that he had a warrant from Pasadena. He was taken into custody for the warrant and later admitted to having marijuana inside the vehicle. The officer also found meth, the release said.

Friendswood police arrested two other people for meth-related charges on March 17, the release said.